


The way to Shambhala

by Ladyofwarandmercy



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Attilan, F/M, Friendship/Love, Inhumans - Freeform, Revelations, Trust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-06 21:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3149411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyofwarandmercy/pseuds/Ladyofwarandmercy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grant and Daisy have escaped HYDRA with a second Obelisk, and a book that can only be read by Inhumans. They find themselves with a map to what may be a still-occupied colony of Inhumans, wrapped in the myth of Shambhala.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

As usual, Daisy Skye Johnson did not know whether she wanted to shoot Grant Douglas Ward or kiss the daylights out of him. She had a history of doing both. But as she and Grant made their way through the small-town Fourth of July festival, ditching their topmost shirts, putting on dark glasses and new ballcaps, Daisy was leaning towards that kiss. They stopped at a booth and bought a pair of t-shirts popular with the local crowd, which they both pulled on over their own shirts. Apparently John Garrett had an off-the-books safehouse near the town square, with a fresh, GPS tracker-free car. As it was off-the-books, neither SHIELD nor HYDRA would know of its existence. It was just a matter of crossing the crowded town square to the house. As they got near the house, though, they realized the traffic barricades would keep them from being able to leave until the festival would be over in a couple of hours. Given what the two of them had taken from the HYDRA base, they figured it was better to get indoors. It was a nice house, as many homes near a town square tend to be, but Grant wisely figured they had probably best get on the road somewhere else as soon as possible. By the time HYDRA could rally enough troops to search the town at which Grant and Daisy had ditched the van they had stolen in their escape, Grant wanted to be many, many miles away. He didn’t even object when Daisy insisted on grabbing dinner at the gas station, as it would save both of them time. She found bottled water and a salad for Grant, hot dogs for herself, and practically squealed with delight as she saw that the convenience store had her favorite peach-flavored green tea at their fountain. Grant gave her a dubious look as she wrestled the bag and a 64-ounce fountain drink cup into the car. “Skye, you know you are going to need to pee at the wrong time.” She chuckled, but was unapologetic. “Yeah, yeah, Murphy’s Law. I just haven’t had this in months.” Grant shook his head with a smile, and they hit the road.

Given everything that had happened that day, the two of them had a lot to talk about as they drove down the highway, and serious plans to make with what they had and what they knew. There were times they raised their voices to one another, and times when every word was a tender caress. About an hour after they had crossed the state line, Grant pulled into a small chain hotel. They checked in, and went upstairs. The moment the elevator closed, they could barely keep their hands off one another. Grant had only just gotten her bra unhooked, when the fallout of that 64-ounce drink caused them to have to stop. “Told you so,” Grant called after Daisy as she ran into the bathroom. When Daisy came out, she swore and grabbed her gun when she saw Grant naked, handcuffed and shackled to the desk chair. “It’s okay, Skye. I did this myself.” Daisy gave him a dubious look as she re-holstered her gun. “Kinky. But um…shouldn’t you wait a time or two before we get into fetishes?” Grant shook his head. Oddly, he looked profoundly sad. “I did this because I know I can get out of all this and dressed. But I can’t do it quickly enough to stop you if you want to take the 084s and get them back to Coulson. The keys are on the dresser, and I want you to know I can’t stop you. I’d….I’d rather you do that than pretend and seduce me. If you don’t want to feel anything for me, if this is all about using me to escape HYDRA, I was glad to do it. Don’t…make me hope for something I can’t have. I’m not strong enough to take that anymore.” The tears Grant refused to shed cracked his voice. Daisy thought things were going so well. And so, she thought, had Grant. Maybe, she realized, every time things seemed to be going well between them as far as Grant could see, that was the moment Daisy would betray him. She knew he would let her leave. But she was sure if she did, she would never see him again in this life. He may or may not not kill himself, or he could disappear to where Daisy would never see him again. In that moment, she thought of a life where Grant was not out there loving her even at a distance. 

She stared at him for a moment. She could see him bracing for the emotional pain he was sure was coming now. What Grant didn't realize was that Daisy had made her decision hours before this moment. She made it the moment those goons pointed the Obelisk darts at Grant and prepared to fire. Daisy pushed through the worst pain she had ever felt in her life to break her bonds, and the pain-inflicting device in hopes of stopping them. Like stubbing ones toe in the middle of a headache, sometimes a greater pain lessens the impact of a lesser pain. And that pain she felt when she was sure she was about to watch Grant die made the pain the HYDRA device inflicted on her when she used her powers bearable in comparison. She shook her head in the negative, and pulled off bra, shirt, and pants as she walked over to the chair. She straddled his lap, facing him, dressed only in her panties, and began to kiss him passionately. She felt down his arms for the handcuffs, aimed a little power at them, and shook them apart. The moment was interrupted as Grant furiously scratched his newly-freed wrists. “Sheesh, that was like a hand-buzzer on my wrists!” Daisy chuckled, and “buzzed” the shackles and the rest of Grant’s bonds off. While bondage may be fun, she figured Grant had been vulnerable enough tonight. Grant Ward wanted to be her hero, and tonight she needed that hero. When he was freed, and they moved back to the bed, he practically ripped off her panties. Truly naked in front of one another, both physically and emotionally, they kissed and caressed one another’s scars, most lovingly, the scars they had left on one another. By an unspoken agreement, they decided they had hurt each other more than enough. An hour later, hope, fear, loyalty, dread, joy, pain, and love rolled itself into a ball in both their stomachs. It wasn’t as if either of them were virgins by any stretch of the imagination. It wasn’t as if they had not had some really good sex in their lifetimes. But this was different, somehow, for both of them. Tonight was something more profound than a couple of horny adults who were attracted to one another resolving a little tension. Somewhere in the midst of all the lovemaking, a bond as strong as steel was forged between them. They were going to need to trust one another implicitly for the task ahead, but this was so much more, so much beyond that. Both of them had that wonderful and frightening realization that what were two separate, but touching lives, had become one life tonight to be lived together. They made love again, then fell asleep in one another’s arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Coulson and team had gotten a lucky break. In the midst of searching the town where HYDRA had attempted to recover the van, Simmons needed to go to the bathroom urgently. Apparently something period-related. This left the rest of the team grabbing snacks at a rather well-appointed convenience store on the highway. Bobbi first saw the fountain tap for Daisy’s favorite drink, then tapped May on the shoulder. Both of them shrugged, flashed badges, and talked to the kid behind the counter. She actually remembered the 64-ounce green tea, and that the couple had come through early in her shift. From the convenience store cameras, they got a description, license plate, and general direction. They consulted, and decided to split up. May, Bobbi, and Jemma would follow the real lead, and the rest would pretend to have gotten another good lead to follow. Hopefully HYDRA would either follow the wrong lead, or split their efforts.

It was about 3AM before they pulled up in front of a hotel that Bobbi described as “Straight outta Moskovitz.” May helpfully explained to Jemma that an old SHIELD Ops Academy instructor named Moskovitz had a method for picking hotels when on the road, and he had trained both Bobbi and Grant. May was ready to spit nails by the time they kicked the door in. Grant had thrown Daisy behind his body, and held a gun at the door. Jemma was reminded of a time in graduate school when she had to tend an injured mother eagle. Which of course could not be understandably explained to her mate, a rather cross chap, who attacked the scientists and veterinarians he was sure were trying to eat his mate and babies. Ward had that same look in his eye. But then, Jemma mused, he had always seen Daisy as his mate. May was the first to notice the chair with the broken chains and shackles. “You BASTARD!” she yelled, as she prepared to kick the gun out of Ward’s hands. Daisy quickly waved her arms. “WAIT! It’s okay. We were just, um, having a little fun.” She put her arms around Grant’s chest. That chair really looked bad as far as assumptions the team was going to make about her consent, so Daisy decided to dial up the affection in her body language. “Kink on the first go-round? Really?” Bobbi chimed in, dubiously. “Ward kidnapped you!” May spat. Daisy shook her head and relaxed. “Nope, this time Ward did not kidnap me. A sniper with a dart full of sleep drug knocked me out, and a HYDRA team hauled me away.” Grant relaxed, but his expression unchanged. He continued, “I saw her go down, but could not get to her in time. I _could_ get myself captured, which I did. As you know, HYDRA had gotten ahold of some kind of book that only Inhumans can read, along with another Obelisk. Raina was being uncooperative, so they figured on Skye. I played up the “don’t you hurt my girlfriend” act to the hilt. Which,” a smile cracked across Grant’s face, “Wasn’t hard to do, where she is involved. I knew they would use me to threaten her, which they did. By the way, May, you need to back up about a foot and not touch that duffel bag.” May could see an Obelisk-like outline through the thin fabric of the bag. “Not very secure, Ward.” She backed up, though, and continued, “So when you escaped, you took Daisy with you to handle the Obelisk, right?” Daisy started to snicker, along with Grant. Everybody lowered their weapons, and Grant reached for the bag, as Bobbi and Jemma gasped. He stuck his hand in, and pulled out the Obelisk, its symbols flashing like flame across the surface. He gave a cocky smile and shook his head. “Not really.” Daisy smiled and shrugged as she pulled on Grant’s discarded shirt, and tossed a clean one to Grant, who kept the Obelisk between himself and the humans. “I looked like a fish out of water when the HYDRA soldiers decided to shoot Grant with those Obelisk-empowered darts,” Daisy continued, “And he just went, ‘Hey, that stings!’ When they realized what that meant, and ran at him, he pulled the darts out and threw them. Of course, they petrified everybody they touched that wasn’t Grant.” Grant began to pack the rest of his clothing, and motioned for Daisy to do the same. “That isn’t even the interesting part,” Grant picked up, “We got the book, too. And those of you who know me know I can't resist a good read. Let's just say, I’ve found some interesting information that I would like to share. But if you guys found us, we may not have the time to do so right here. Bobbi, who do you think HYDRA has coming after all of us?” Bobbi thought for a minute. “I think I saw Johannsen at one point. He’s good. Might not be that far behind us.”

The other team members helped the two of them pack, giving the duffel bag with the Obelisk a wide berth. Silently, they all agreed that they would take both cars to the rendezvous point. May rode with Ward in his car, and Daisy rode with Bobbi and Jemma. May figured if this was some kind of act Daisy was putting on for Grant’s benefit, her friendship with Simmons and respect for Morse would give her the physical and emotional space to speak the truth. And May herself would be able to keep Ward from trying anything funny. When both cars pulled over for gasoline, and both drivers compared notes, it turned out Daisy was more sure she loved Ward than Ward was sure he was Inhuman when he set out to get the 084s and Daisy away from HYDRA. It was an educated guess, seeing as the book in question had resided in a safe-deposit box owned by the Ward family. HYDRA had apparently sent an agent in a Christian Ward nanomask to secure the object shortly before Grant’s escape from SHIELD custody, which explained why Grant was on the tail of the 084s and saw Daisy’s capture. “Everything seems on the up-and-up,” Bobbi said to May with a shrug. Simmons was paying for three pints of ice cream and drinks, while Ward and Daisy were off in a corner cuddling. Bobbi could not help smiling. “Daisy had a great idea. We’re all going to eat ice cream and sing along to my Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood albums on our way to meet the guys. You’re missing out.” This brought a smile out of May. Bobbi wasn't around to see how Daisy was before HYDRA's rise, but this sounded like the old Daisy, back when she called herself Skye. "Sounds fun," May answered, "But I have to babysit her man and make sure he's not able to betray us all again."

"So you've had a chance to talk to Bobbi and Jemma, and Skye didn't tell them I tied her up and ravaged her, then forced her to say those things back at the hotel as I twirled my moustache and cackled evilly." Ward said, as May pulled back onto the road. May gave him a dirty look. She didn't really want to talk to Ward any more than she had to, but it seemed Ward had other ideas. "Yes, Ward, you were telling the truth _this_ time. So why not tell me the truth about why you seduced me, since you're on some truth-telling spree?" Ward nodded. The question was fair. "Skye approached me after the incident with the Berserker Staff. She offered to talk it out with me. She saw me just after I was able to drop the staff. I was at my worst, and she just wanted to stay with me. I was just that close to taking her up on it. Tonight would have happened that night. And I would have been completely off-mission as far as Garrett's mission for me was concerned. You told me you needed to work off some tension. I'm pretty good at finding out stuff I'm not supposed to know, and I could tell you were keeping an eye out for Coulson's mental health. And I could tell you love him, too. I realized we both needed to stay on-mission for our respective missions, you are a beautiful woman, and I'm not the kind of guy a woman would toss out of bed for eating crackers." May pierced him with as much of a look as she could give him and keep her eyes on the road. "So why did you try to kill me after Lorelai's power over you broke?" It was Ward's turn to give the dirty look. "I came back into control of my own faculties with the gun in my hands and you trying, quite understandably, to kill me, given how Lorelai was using me. The moment it would have taken me to say, 'Hey, I'm back in control!' you would have finished me off! It's like waking up behind the steering wheel of a car already crashing and being blamed for the crash. I liked you. I really did. You just....weren't her, and I'm not Coulson." May sniffed and looked at the road as a way to avoid looking at Ward. "So why all this telling the truth, Ward?" She could hear him take a long inhalation, as if the conversation had finally turned towards the subject he wanted to broach. "I want you to believe me when I tell you what I am about to tell you. I'm telling you this before I tell the others because I know how important your beliefs are to you." She looked at him again, not comprehending where her Buddhist faith fit into this conversation. "The book has an explanation on the history of, and how to get to Shambhala. Well, it's not really Shambhala, but as far as regular Earth Humans understand it, it is. It's another city, built by Skye's and my people. It's a bit newer than the abandoned city under Puerto Rico, and may still have people there. The Inhumans, which is what...we are, took advantage of the locals' belief in Shambhala to keep those humans away from their city and its defenses. A well-intentioned, good Buddhist, like say, you, would be easily deterred by less-lethal obstacles, and simply go back and work on your karma." May smiled, but the disappointment was apparent in her eyes, and finished the thought, "But an ill-intentioned person less concerned with sacrilege would be more likely to get killed by one of the more fatal defenses, and not die a hero. I see. Thank you for your...sensitivity. Believe it or not, that counts for something with me." The drive to the rendezvous point went more happily for the passengers in both cars.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Saturday morning, the building was a sales office, and the company was a major restaurant chain. Nobody was going to see them, except for cameras and the poor bastards of the corporate help desk—who used the other entrance. HYDRA was not into fried chicken as a means of conquering the world, so anybody looking at footage from the cameras would cease caring when nobody from the cars approached the building. While nobody pulled a weapon, the men from the one SUV tensed when Grant got out of the passenger side of the green sedan. Coulson put a containment suitcase down, then backed up, tensely. May popped the trunk of the sedan. “Get that damned thing out, Ward.” Grant complied, and grabbed a blue duffel bag, in which something sparkled. He opened the bag and pulled out the sparkling Obelisk, as the men reacted with shock. As he placed it in the suitcase and closed it, he quipped, “That’s Part One of the news we bring you. Part Two will have to take place in a more secure location.” All the cars left the office, met at the mall, and abandoned the green sedan. May quickly whispered to Coulson, “He gave me a spoiler. It’s actually worth putting up with him, so you guys be nice.” They pulled Ward away from where he was kissing Daisy, just as they had to pull Bobbi and Lance apart, and the men all rode in one SUV while the women rode in another to the nearby SHIELD base.

Coulson was not prepared for the dirty look Daisy gave him as he un-cuffed Ward. Ward didn’t seem as bothered about it. As soon as his arms were free, she ran into them for a hug. “We told you he was not hostile, Director.” Ward popped a kiss on top of her head. “It’s okay. May wanted to be sure for herself that I didn’t use your feelings for me against you. If I’m not mad, there’s no reason for you to be mad. They don’t trust me yet.” Daisy sighed and sniffed, then turned to face the rest of the team. “Look, I know you guys are not happy with Ward. But now you guys are treating me like a mind-control victim or incompetent minor, simply because I had an incident recently where Grant and I have had to learn to trust each other again. Listen to what he has to say, and you will understand. We haven’t had time for a visual presentation, and Grant’s done more reading on this than I have. So I will let him do the talking, and I will try to follow along with the Holotable.” The team adjourned to the briefing room, and Grant and Daisy consulted, as items floated up on the Holotable. Once everyone was seated, Grant began.

“The city under Puerto Rico had a name. According to this book, it was called Attilan of the Seas. It was built 7000 years ago, and completely abandoned somewhere in the sixteenth century, as its Inhuman population slowly migrated to our goal, which they call Attilan of Refuge. It was built 4000 years ago, and was still active as of the printing of the book, whose information leaves off somewhere in the mid 19th century. There was talk of a third location, which was under construction as of the mid 19th century. But seeing how long it took to abandon Attilan of the Seas, and the…location of the third city, which I will hold in confidence, it is extremely likely Attilan of Refuge is still occupied. As you might have noticed, there is another Obelisk on the loose. And the more I have read in the book, which is named _Historia Inhumanii_ , about the mechanisms and philosophy of the use of the Terrigen Mists, the less I want to undergo Terrigenesis. I know who I am, I know what I am, and I am perfectly able to defend myself against the odd vivisector without having to resort to a Gift. I worked with the late Doctor Cal Johnson to get our Daisy to the temple because when I began to realize she was the Hunan 084, and what Whitehall had told Garrett he had done to her mother, that Skye needed to be hardened as a target as much as possible. She’s good. Very good. But the only way really to be the best is to spend a childhood dodging fists,” Grant jerked a thumb his direction, “Or having some other trauma to where you train in combat from a very young age.” He tried not to jerk a chin in May’s direction. “She had thankfully avoided such things in her childhood, so awakening her Gift was the best way I saw to harden her. I don’t want to use the Obelisk for myself, having another Inhuman, such as Daisy, use it again is unadvised, and it is dangerous for anyone who is not Inhuman. So much so that HYDRA seeks these items relentlessly to use as a mass-extinction weapon. My preference is to take this Obelisk to the people in Attilan of Refuge, and turn it over to them. Skye has volunteered to come with me.”

The conference room erupted in an argument between Daisy and the rest of the team. Eventually, she screamed, “Stop it! STOP IT!” The room was silent, as she came out from behind the holotable. She steeled her face into a tough expression, and spoke, “We lost Trip and nearly lost Mack to the defenses of an abandoned Inhuman city. This city is not abandoned, and its inhabitants generally regard regular Humans as inferior. None of the rest of you can even come with us. This is dangerous country in which to travel alone. And…I’m sick of losing people. We were watching that last Indiana Jones movie the other day, remember? It really got to me when he said he had reached a point in life where life takes things away from you instead of giving them. Boy, could I relate. And guys, I’m not even thirty! We’ve lost Trip, I lost my birth-father in Bangkok, we almost lost Mack, we almost lost May, and…I was sure I had lost Grant. But when HYDRA had me, he came for me. Even after I had shot him in the back. I’m sick of losing things. If life wants to give me something back, I’m holding on. I’m grabbing with both hands. If he wants to go into danger like this, and I can come along, I’m going to do it. If he dies, the only way I could ever forgive myself is if I had come along, and done my best to stop it. Besides, as a SHIELD agent, I say we should at least think of sending some kind of representative to talk to them. Unless we want to line everyone up and have them look at the book, I’m the only known Inhuman SHIELD agent. So I am going with Ward. I don’t want to lose any of you. This is something only I can do on your behalf.” She moved to be next to Grant, and grabbed his hand in solidarity.

The room was quiet for a moment, then Lance stood in front of Grant and Daisy. “I wasn’t there for all this Ward-betraying-everybody business, but I think both their reasoning here is rather sound. There’s just…um, one tiny little complication, here. This isn’t the most enlightened part of the world as far as the rights of women are concerned, are they, love?” he tossed a chin in Bobbi Morse’s direction, who chuckled at an old memory and nodded vehemently in agreement. “Lance is right. We may not have gone to this Attilan, but the Human locals in that part of the world have a wee bit of trouble seeing men and women as equal co-workers. Lance and I married when we did, in part, because of a mission out that way to find and rescue some scientists. Grant nodded, and had a sheepish look on his face. “They are right, honey. Not that we can’t handle ourselves in a fight, but we’d get in fewer fights if our cover is as a married couple. Nobody questions a married woman traveling with her husband, or mistakes her for the evening’s entertainment.” Bobbi nodded at Daisy with a look on her face that clearly said, “sadly, he’s right.”

Coulson still looked doubtful, but before he could open his mouth, Grant answered his likeliest objection. “HYDRA now knows for sure I am Imhuman, Coulson. There is nothing they can do to Skye that they can’t do to me much more easily. If you don’t believe that my feelings for her are real, understand that now I have zero reason to get anywhere near HYDRA, either to betray you, or especially to betray her. If you need any clearer reason to believe I am no longer HYDRA, I really just don’t know what to tell you.”

“This sounds like going to Shangri-La, which is based on the story of Shambhala,” Fitz joined in, in hopes of changing the subject. “Daisy is right, that historically, expeditions to find Shambhala or Shangri-La have been very dangerous, even before encountering what defenses the city might have. Ward would be a fool to travel there alone. If he doesn’t make it, that Obelisk would still be out there for HYDRA to seize upon.” Coulson took a swift look at May. He knew how much May talked of finding Shambhala someday. “Melinda, are you okay with this?” May nodded. “Ward told me that part on our way to the rendezvous. Some questions are not really supposed to have one answer, and it’s rather shocking to find a question like this with a definitive answer. The physical Shambhala is really a semi-alien city with advanced defenses. Thus to seek Shambhala for us regular Humans is to seek enlightenment. Ward did give me time to process this. It’s the one act of friendship he has done that has not gone awry. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new pattern for him.” They both chuckled. 

Jemma had been silent, and looking sadly at the floor. Given that she was the last of the original team to speak up on Ward’s idea, all eyes turned to her. “I feel like I got my best friend back, just to tell her good-bye. She’s going off with the man she loves, and all I can think about is how I’m going to miss out. Not just seeing the city, which would be absolutely…brilliant. But…she’s loved Grant from the first time we met, and I know they will come back, probably married, toting their new baby, and….” Daisy walked over to Simmons, and gave her hand, to help her stand up. “Jem, I was there when Fitz proposed, and I will be there for your wedding. You’re afraid of missing it if Grant and I decided to marry while out on the mission. Let me tell you something.” She put a hand on each of Jemma’s shoulders and smiled mischievously, “Las Vegas isn’t far from here.” Grant startled, visibly. Daisy turned around and pierced him with a look. “We may as well marry for real. If we don’t like each other when the mission is done, we can always have an amicable divorce. That way, nobody misses the wedding, none of those Himalayan tribal guys will want me to dance the hoochie-coochie, and those telepaths in Attilan don’t read that we’re not really married, and wonder what else we’re lying about. Besides, if I’m going to end up a married woman, you’d make a pretty awesome husband. So let’s go to Vegas and get married!” Grant was speechless. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Mack clapped Ward between the shoulderblades, “Breathe!” Grant blinked a couple of times, and blurted out, “Yes! Yes, um, yes! We…we can get married. In Vegas, for real. Oh, wow.” Daisy walked over and they kissed in front of the team, passionately.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay update!

Grant’s internal clock woke him at the usual 5:30, where he went into his usual routine. Caffeine was for late nights. This exercise routine kept him down to that one cup of coffee to keep the headaches away. The hotel furniture was surprisingly well-made for his activities. The only thing Grant could think of was wonder at the past twenty-four hours. A stray bit of light glinted off Skye’s left hand, proving that, yes, their wedding did just happen, and he was up later than usual making love to his bride, the love of his life. She stirred a little, and the sheet caught her curves just right. Grant thought about waking her for a little more…abdominal work. But this could be the last full night of sleep they get in a real bed for a long time. He finished his routine, showered, and had his travel clothing on when he sat on the bed, touched her shoulder, and said, “Mrs. Ward? Time to get some breakfast before we go to the airport.” Skye smiled up at him, and ran her left hand up his thigh. Grant caught it and kissed her over the ring. “I figured you wanted to sleep. We’ll have enough time to grab breakfast and check out before we have to be at the airport.” Skye pouted, grabbed Grant into a deep soul kiss, then ran for the shower, as Grant picked up the tossed-off wedding dress, veil, and other clothing discarded the night before.

The rest of the team was going to stay another two days, so the Wards (they were both trying to get used to calling themselves that) had the only set of luggage at the breakfast table. And this breakfast, like the wedding dinner the night before, felt like old times on the Bus. Quietly, Grant got Fitz alone. “Thank you so much for being my Best Man, Leo.” Fitz smiled, and clapped ward on the back. “When Trip passed, he left me this devotional book he always read. I’m not some big Christian or anything, but something in that book stood out. It was a chapter on forgiveness. Forgiveness is as much about giving as receiving. And in the end, nobody is entitled to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a choice. Choosing to forgive is choosing to be free. Besides, being honest with myself, I don’t even know why the bloody thing sank, and I’m an engineer. It helped that Jemma and I were finally able to talk again. I’m happy for both of you, mate. And I have chosen to forgive you. Good luck on your journey.” The two men shook hands, and re-joined the table. After a number of mimosa toasts, it was finally time for the couple to leave. 

The team would hear occasional reports and rumors about the traveling couple in Asia. Odd sorts of people would simply let themselves in at the base, but they tended to bring news and gifts. Most of them found it odd that Grant would not wish to face the Diviner his family had passed down. The most frequent visitor called himself “Bob.” But everyone was certain that was not his real name. “Bob” dressed foppishly, and looked for all the world like The Cat from Red Dwarf, though he was much more human in mannerisms. As the team made it back to the Playground, a delighted squeal from Jemma was all Coulson needed to hear to know “Bob” had likely re-appeared in their absence. For once, Bob was dressed rather practically and almost somberly, which contrasted with the excitement written across his face. “Coulson, my dear friend, I bring news for you!” He pulled Coulson into a bear hug, with a kiss on the top of his head. “Their Majesties have approved one of you to travel to Attilan of Refuge in time for the birth! I was a very good friend of Jiaying, and I can only wish she would see that day!” Everybody looked confused. “Skye’s mother. I was her friend before she left Attilan. I even gave her the Diviner made for me, in case she wanted to face the Diviner. I faced the Diviner with my brother instead. She…married a doctor, and that was the last I had heard from her until her daughter showed up with her own husband.” Bob’s eyes saddened. “Jiaying was murdered, her husband driven mad, and their daughter taken away. But she found her way to SHIELD, found her father, and she found Grant. Admittedly most of us feel that not meeting the Diviner is an avoidance of finding out who you are. But Karnak was my teacher and my priest. He too had not faced the Diviner. When he heard why Grant wished to give back the Diviner his family was given, Karnak himself came down from---well, he came down to Attilan of Refuge just to meet the man.”

“Anyway, Skye is giving birth in the next eight weeks, and she wants Melinda to be there with her.” May looked pleasantly surprised, but Simmons’s face looked sad for a brief moment. Bob put his hands on Jemma’s shoulders and explained, “If we could have gotten approval, we would have also taken you. She has much better control of her powers now, but…” Jemma nodded and completed the thought, “But this is Skye’s first baby, she doesn’t know what to expect, or how it will affect her control. And I can safely assume Attilan has facilities more geared towards her special needs. I’ll promise not to be overly upset on one condition.” Bob smiled and nodded, “Any condition you want, my dear.” Jemma looked him in the eye and demanded, “I want in a format readable to current technology medical information about this birth. I know Skye wants more children, and I promised I would help deliver her oldest. If I can’t do that for her, I want to have the information I need to deliver the next one.” Bob gave a wicked grin, “Ask me for something the doctors in Attilan haven’t already agreed to share, then,” Jemma looked up and away for a moment in exaggerated concentration. “You could procure a trained monkey for Fitz.”


End file.
